Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 3 (1876 - 1882)

Ms 6, 1876

Concerning Jonah

1876

Previously unpublished.

In Newberry, N. H., I was shown in vision some things concerning our disappointment in 1844. 3LtMs, Ms 6, 1876, par. 1

We were visiting at the house of Brother Morse, who had been a firm believer that Christ would come to this earth in 1844. I was shown the passing of the time was a great disappointment to Brother Morse. He could not explain the delay. He did go back and renounce his past experience as error and call it all a delusion, fanaticism, as many others had done. But he was bewildered. He had lost his whereabouts, and was desponding, doing nothing to cheer or strengthen the faith of others. 3LtMs, Ms 6, 1876, par. 2

I was shown the case of Jonah. God sent him with a message of warning to the Ninevites. He cried and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. Thus for the space of three days Jonah went through the city with his fearful warning cry, Yet forty days, yet forty days, and the wrath of God should fall upon wicked Nineveh. But when Nineveh, from the king upon his throne down to the humblest servant, humbled [itself] before God, the Lord accepted [its] humiliation and turned from His fierce anger. But Jonah was confused and displeased, because he had given the message devoting Nineveh to destruction, and then afterwards God’s sparing Nineveh would cause him to be looked upon as a false prophet. He had more thought for his confusion and humiliation than for that large city to perish in [its] sins. 3LtMs, Ms 6, 1876, par. 3

The disappointment of Brother Morse was similar to that of Jonah. The Lord had given Jonah the very message He wished him to carry: “Preach unto it the message that I shall give thee, saith the Lord.” [Jonah 3:2.] The event predicted did not come, yet the message of warning was no less from God. It accomplished the purpose God designed it should. 3LtMs, Ms 6, 1876, par. 4

The Lord sent for the men to preach the message He should give them that Christ would appear the second time to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity in 1844. The time passed. The event anticipated did not take place. Yet the message of warning was of God, to test and prove the people of the world who heard the note of warning. The mistake was in the event. They were not in error in preaching time. God hid from them the event that was to take place. They thought Christ would come to this earth to purify the world by fire. They regarded the earth as the sanctuary to be cleansed at the end of the 1335 [2300?] days. After the passing of the time, light shone more clearly upon the prophecies that the sanctuary to be cleansed was in heaven. Christ entered the heavenly sanctuary upon the great antitypical day of atonement to cleanse it from the sins of the people by virtue of His own blood. 3LtMs, Ms 6, 1876, par. 5

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Miss Messer (who is now a married lady in Vermont) was a child in her father’s house. She is niece of Brother Morse. She has reported that I had a vision in Newberry, in which I said several times, “In forty days, yet within forty days.” She interpreted that this was the time that I had been shown that the Lord would come. I have written what was shown me in regard to them. I was shown that instead of Brother Morse’s feeling disconsolate and unreconciled as did Jonah, he should feel the deepest gratitude to God that Christ did not come to this earth in 1844 and destroy the wicked. But that in His mercy and loving-kindness, He gave them still time to repent of their sins and prepare for His coming. 3LtMs, Ms 6, 1876, par. 6